Ceramic circuit board, method for making the same, and power module

ABSTRACT

In a ceramic circuit board  1  prepared by integrally joining a circuit layer  4  composed of a clad member including a circuit plate  2  made of an Al plate and an Al—Si brazing material layer  3  to a ceramic substrate  6,  a surface of the clad member adjacent to the Al—Si brazing material layer  3  is joined to the ceramic substrate  6  with an Al alloy film  5  therebetween, the Al alloy film  5  having a thickness of less than 1 μm and being provided on the surface of the ceramic substrate  6.  According to this structure, a ceramic circuit board in which the generation of voids in the joint interface can be effectively suppressed, the joint strength of the metal member serving as the circuit layer can be increased, and the heat resistance cycle characteristics can be drastically improved, and a method for producing the same can be provided.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a ceramic circuit board, which is a joined body (bonded body) of a ceramic member and a metal circuit layer, a method for producing the same, and a power module including the ceramic circuit board. In particular, the present invention relates to a ceramic circuit board in which the generation of voids in the joint interface can be effectively suppressed, the joint strength (bonding strength) of the metal member serving as the circuit layer can be increased, and the heat resistance cycle characteristics can be drastically improved, a method for producing the same, and a power module.

BACKGROUND ART

Hitherto, as a method for joining (bonding) a ceramic member and a metal circuit member, a simultaneous sintering method (co-fire method) of printing paste of a high melting point metal (refractory metal) such as Mo or W on the surface of a ceramic sheet-shaped molding and then sintering, a DBC method (direct bonding copper method) in which a circuit layer is integrally joined on the surface of a ceramic substrate using a eutectic reaction between copper serving as a circuit material and oxygen, an active metal brazing method using a brazing material containing an active metal such as Ti as a joining material of a metal circuit layer, and the like have been widely used.

Joined bodies of a ceramic member and a metal member produced by the above-described joining methods are used in various fields. A typical example thereof is a ceramic circuit board for mounting and joining a semiconductor device and the like. Examples of characteristics required for such a ceramic circuit board include satisfactory heat dissipation effect (heat radiating property), high structural strength as a whole ceramic circuit board, high joint strength (bonding strength) between a ceramic substrate and a metal circuit plate, and satisfactory heat resistance cycle characteristics as a circuit board.

As a ceramic substrate constituting the ceramic circuit board, a sintered body of aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), or silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) has been widely used.

For example, an aluminum nitride substrate is particularly excellent in heat dissipation effect because it has a high thermal conductivity of 160 W/m·K or more, which is higher than that of other ceramic substrates. A silicon nitride substrate has a three-point bending strength (at room temperature) of 600 MPa or more, and thus the strength of the circuit board can be improved when silicon nitride is used as a material for a ceramic substrate. In contrast, an aluminum oxide substrate has a thermal conductivity of about 20 W/m·K and a three-point bending strength of about 360 MPa. Therefore, in particular, in order to achieve high heat dissipation effect and high structural strength, use of a nitride ceramic substrate is more preferable for a circuit board, compared with an oxide ceramic substrate.

In view of the joint strength between a ceramic substrate and a metal circuit plate, among the above-described joining methods, the active metal brazing method is preferred. In the active metal brazing method, a metal foil containing at least one active metal such as Ti, Hf, Zr, and Nb or paste prepared by adding these active metals to an Ag—Cu brazing material is applied between the ceramic substrate and the metal circuit plate, and both members are then integrally joined and bonded by heat treatment. When a joining by the active metal brazing method is performed using a nitride ceramic substrate, a joint layer composed of a nitride of the above active metal is formed after the heat treatment, resulting in the formation of a stronger joint state. Thus, a joined body of a nitride ceramic and a metal member prepared by the active metal brazing method satisfies the characteristics required for a circuit board. Accordingly, such a joined body has been widely used as a substrate for electronic circuits, such as a substrate for a semiconductor module (power module) on which a power semiconductor device is mounted.

In addition, as a known insulating circuit board for mounting a semiconductor, the following circuit board has also been proposed: The circuit board has a structure in which, for example, a metal circuit layer is laminated and bonded on at least one of the surfaces of a ceramic substrate with an Al—Si— or Al—Ge-based brazing material for the metal layer therebetween. By adjusting the Vickers hardness and the thickness of the metal layer and the thickness and the flexural strength of the ceramic substrate to predetermined values, the heat resistance cycle life of the circuit board is extended (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Furthermore, as a known ceramics wiring board, a wiring board prepared by forming a metal layer such as an Al or Ni layer that has excellent wettability with a brazing material and that has a thickness of 1 to 10 μm on the surface of a ceramic substrate has also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-144234

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-111211

However, in the above known circuit boards, although the structural strength is improved to some degree, the heat resistance cycle characteristics do not necessarily satisfy the present technical requirement. The reason for this is as follows: As the capacity, the output, and the integration degree of recent semiconductor devices increase, the heat generating amount from the devices tends to increase. When the heating value increases, cracks due to the difference in thermal expansion between the metal circuit plate and the ceramic substrate are easily generated in the ceramic substrate and the brazing material layer, resulting in problems such as a decrease in the withstand voltage of the ceramic substrate and separation of the metal circuit layer. In particular, when the metal circuit layer is joined by the active metal brazing method, a phase of a nitride of the active metal is formed on the surface adjacent to the nitride ceramic. Although this active metal nitride phase effectively acts on the improvement of the joint strength, the phase does not have a function for releasing a stress generated by the difference in thermal expansion. Consequently, cracks are easily generated in the ceramic substrate, resulting in the problem of degrading the durability of the circuit board.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a method is also employed in which, instead of the copper plate serving as the circuit layer, an aluminum plate is used and is joined with a ceramic substrate with an Al alloy brazing material therebetween. The aluminum has not only a conductivity next to that of copper and high heat dissipation effect but also a property that plastic deformation is easily caused by a thermal stress. Therefore, the generation of cracks in the ceramic substrate, solder, and the like can be prevented.

On the other hand, an Al—Si alloy forms a joint by bonding to oxygen that is present on the surface of the ceramic substrate. However, unlike a substrate made of an oxide ceramic represented by alumina, particularly in a substrate made of a nitride ceramic such as aluminum nitride or silicon nitride, since the oxygen content per unit area of the substrate structure is low, the bondability (i.e., wettability of the interface between the Al—Si alloy and the ceramic) is low. In order to compensate for this disadvantage, the joining is performed while a load is applied. However, because of a problem relating to the bondability with aluminum nitride, and in particular, silicon nitride, the heat resistance cycle characteristics are varied. Thus, the countermeasure is not sufficient.

As described above, in order to improve the wettability of the brazing material, a method of forming an Al metal film on the surface of a ceramic substrate and then joining the substrate is also employed. However, a phenomenon in which the surface of the structure partly rises because of the diffusion of Al elements in the Al metal film, i.e., the hillock phenomenon, occurs. Consequently, voids (air gaps) are easily formed between the Al metal film and the Al—Si brazing material, resulting in a decrease in the joint strength of the metal circuit layer. Thus, disadvantageously, the heat resistance cycle characteristics as the whole circuit board is easily degraded. Furthermore, since the Al metal film is formed so that the thickness of the film is as large as about 1 to 10 μm, the time required for vapor deposition of Al metal is increased, resulting in the problem of an increase in the production cost.

In the semiconductor field, in addition to the developments of integration degree and the increase in the operation speed of LSIs, for example, the applications of power devices such as GTO and IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) have been increasing. Under this situation, the heating value (amount of heat) generated from a silicon chip (semiconductor element) has been steadily increasing. When the power modules are used in the fields requiring a long-term reliability, such as electric railroad vehicles and electric automobiles, the heat dissipation effect and the durability of a circuit board having a silicon chip thereon or a module including the circuit board therein are of more concern. Unfortunately, in the known power modules, the durability of the joined part is insufficient and satisfactory reliability cannot be ensured.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems in the related art. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a ceramic circuit board in which the generation of voids in the joint interface can be effectively suppressed, the joint strength of a metal member serving as a circuit layer can be increased, and the heat resistance cycle characteristics can be drastically improved, a method for producing the same, and a power module including the circuit board.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

In order to achieve the above object, the present inventors have conducted various studies of a method for effectively preventing or suppressing the diffusion of Al elements that causes the hillock phenomenon. As a result, the present inventors have found the following knowledge: In particular, instead of the conventional Al metal film, by forming an Al alloy film having a predetermined thickness on the surface of a ceramic substrate, even when the thickness of the Al alloy film is small less than 1 μm, the hillock phenomenon can be satisfactorily suppressed, the generation of voids in the joint surface can be effectively prevented, and the joint assembly of the circuit board can be simplified to reduce the production cost drastically. This finding and knowledge resulted in completion of the present invention.

Namely, according to a ceramic circuit board of the present invention, in a ceramic circuit board prepared by integrally joining a circuit layer composed of a clad member including an Al plate and an Al—Si brazing material to a ceramic substrate, a surface of the clad member adjacent to the Al—Si brazing material is joined to the ceramic substrate with an Al alloy film therebetween, the Al alloy film having a thickness of less than 1 μm and being provided on the surface of the ceramic substrate.

In the present invention, the circuit layer is composed of a clad member including an Al plate and an Al—Si brazing material. In view of the current-carrying capacity, the thickness of the circuit layer is preferably set to the range of 0.15 to 0.5 mm.

In the ceramic circuit board, the ceramic substrate is preferably composed of an aluminum nitride sintered body or a silicon nitride sintered body.

The ceramic substrate constituting the ceramic circuit board of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the ceramic substrate has a predetermined heat dissipation effect and structural strength. Substrates composed of a sintered body of a nitride ceramic such as aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, or sialon (Si—Al—O—N); a sintered body of a carbide ceramic such as silicon carbide (SiC); and a sintered body of an oxide ceramic such as aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) or zirconia (ZrO₂) can be suitably used. However, high effect of improving the bondability (bonding property) can be achieved even in the nitride ceramic substrates, which have a low oxygen concentration on the surface of the substrate structure. Accordingly, when the ceramic substrate is an aluminum nitride substrate or a silicon nitride substrate, particularly excellent operation and effect can be obtained.

The Al alloy film disposed on the surface of the ceramic substrate improves the wettability of the Al—Si brazing material and increases the joint strength of the clad member serving as the circuit layer bonded to the ceramic substrate. The Al alloy film is formed by sputtering method, vapor deposition method, or the like. Furthermore, according to such an Al alloy film, the diffusion and the migration of Al elements do not occur during joining by heating, and voids due to the Al diffusion are not generated. The thickness of the Al alloy film is less than 1 μm. When the thickness of the Al alloy film is excessively small to be less than 0.1 μm, the above improvement effect of the wettability is not sufficient. On the other hand, when the Al alloy film is formed so as to have a thickness of 1 μm or more, the above effect is saturated and it takes a long time to form the Al alloy film, resulting in a decrease in production efficiency. Accordingly, the thickness of the Al alloy film is set to less than 1 μm, but is more preferably set to the range of 0.1 to 0.5 μm.

In the above ceramic circuit board, the Al alloy film preferably contains at least one rare earth element selected from Y, Sc, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Er, Th, and Sr in an amount of 1 to 5 atomic percent. When the Al alloy film is formed using an alloy containing the predetermined rare earth element in the predetermined content, in particular, the wettability of the brazing material can be adjusted more appropriately, the loss by flowing of the brazing material due to the excessive increase in the wettability can be prevented, the joint strength of the circuit layer can be further increased, and the generation of voids in the joint surface can be effectively prevented.

Furthermore, in the above ceramic circuit board, the Al content of the Al—Si brazing material is preferably 85 mass percent or more and the Si content thereof is preferably in the range of 6 to 15 mass percent. When the Al content and the Si content of the Al—Si brazing material are in the above ranges, the brazing material has a melting point lower than that of Al by 50° C. to 100° C. Consequently, the joining of an Al—Si alloy layer serving as the circuit layer is simply performed and the joining with the Al—Si brazing material is also easily performed.

According to a method for producing the above-described ceramic circuit board of the present invention, in a method for producing a ceramic circuit board prepared by integrally joining a circuit layer composed of a clad member including an Al plate and an Al—Si brazing material to an Al alloy film, the circuit layer composed of the clad member including the Al plate and the Al—Si brazing material and a ceramic substrate having the Al alloy film thereon overlap with each other, and the circuit layer and the ceramic substrate are then joined by heating at a temperature of 580° C. to 630° C. in an atmosphere of a degree of vacuum of 10⁻² Pa or lower while a pressing load is applied so that the pressure is 0.2 MPa or more.

In the above production method, when the pressure during joining is less than 0.2 MPa, the adhesiveness between the circuit layer composed of the clad member and the ceramic substrate becomes insufficient. Furthermore, in an atmosphere where the degree of vacuum is in the above range, oxidation of Al—Si proceeds and the wettability is increased to improve the bondability. Furthermore, by heating in the above joint temperature range (580° C. to 630° C.), the circuit layer composed of the clad member can be integrally joined to the ceramic substrate having an Al alloy film thereon in a short period of time.

A power module according to the present invention includes a ceramic circuit board prepared by integrally joining a circuit layer composed of a clad member including an Al plate and an Al—Si brazing material to a ceramic substrate, wherein a surface of the clad member adjacent to the Al—Si brazing material is joined to the ceramic substrate with an Al alloy film therebetween, the Al alloy film having a thickness of less than 1 μm and being provided on the surface of the ceramic substrate; a semiconductor element mounted on the circuit layer; and a heat sink that dissipates heat generated from the semiconductor element via the ceramic circuit board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a ceramic circuit board according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure of a power module including the ceramic circuit board according to the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of a ceramic circuit board of the present invention will now be described specifically with reference to the attached drawings.

EXAMPLES 1 to 116 AND COMPARATIVE EXAMPLES 1 to 45

As shown in Tables 1 to 6, as ceramic substrates used in examples and comparative examples, a large number of silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) substrates, aluminum nitride (AlN) substrates, sialon (Si—Al—O—N) substrates, silicon carbide (SiC) substrates, and aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) substrates that have a thickness of 0.625 to 1.2 mm were prepared. A blasting process and a polishing process were performed on a surface of each ceramic substrate for joining a clad member serving as a circuit layer so that the surface roughness (Ra) was controlled to be 1 μm.

Subsequently, an Al alloy film having the composition and the thickness that were shown in Tables 1 to 6 was formed by vapor deposition on a part of each ceramic substrate for joining the circuit layer, the ceramic substrate having an adjusted surface roughness.

On the other hand, an Al circuit plate and an Al—Si brazing material that had the compositions shown in Tables 1 to 6 were integrally joined so as to have a thickness ratio of 75:25 by rolling operation. Thus, clad members serving as the circuit layer were prepared. The thicknesses of the resulting clad members were determined to the values shown in Tables 1 to 6.

Subsequently, each of the circuit layers composed of the clad member including the Al plate serving as the circuit plate and the Al—Si brazing material and each of the ceramic substrates having an Al alloy film (Examples) or an Al metal film (Comparative Example 1) thereon, which were prepared as described above, overlapped with each other. Each of the circuit layers and each of the ceramic substrates were then joined by heating to a temperature shown in Tables 1 to 6 in an atmosphere of a degree of vacuum shown in Tables 1 to 6 while a pressing load was applied so that the pressure was a value shown in Tables 1 to 6. Thereby, ceramic circuit boards of the examples and the comparative examples were produced.

As shown in FIG. 1, a ceramic circuit board 1 produced as described above has a structure in which a circuit layer 4 composed of a clad member including a circuit plate 2 made of an Al plate and an Al—Si brazing material layer 3 is integrally joined on the surface of a ceramic substrate 6 having an Al alloy film 5 (Examples) or an Al metal film (Comparative Example 1) thereon.

In order to evaluate the characteristics of the ceramic circuit boards of the examples and the comparative examples produced as described above, the following measurement tests were performed. First, a void ratio on the joint surface disposed under the circuit layer of each ceramic circuit board was measured with an ultrasonic flaw detector. The void ratio was determined by analyzing an image of voids that are present on the joint surface of a 20 mm square, the image being taken by the ultrasonic flaw detector. The void ratio was measured as a void area ratio per 20 mm square of the jointed area.

A joint strength was measured as follows: The circuit layer 4 of the ceramic circuit board 1 of each example and each comparative example was pulled upward in the vertical direction in FIG. 1. The value calculated by dividing the tensile load when the circuit layer 4 was peeled and separated from the ceramic substrate 6 by the jointed area was defined as the joint strength. Tables 1 to 6 show the measured values, the specifications of the ceramic circuit boards, the joining conditions, and the like.

TABLE 1 STRUCTURE OF CLAD MEMBER (CIRCUIT LAYER) Al ALLOY FILM ON SURFACE JOINING TREATMENT VOID KIND OF Al CONTENT IN COMPOSITION OF TOTAL OF CERAMIC SUBSTRATE PRESSING DEGREE OF TEMPER- JOINING AREA CERAMIC CIRCUIT LAYER Al—Si BRAZING THICKNESS COMPOSITION THICKNESS LOAD VACUUM ATURE STRENGTH RATIO SAMPLE No. SUBSTRATE (MASS %) MATERIAL (MASS %) (mm) (at %) (μm) (MPa) (Pa) (° C.) (N/20 mm□) (%) EXAMPLE 1  Si₃N₄ 98Al 15Si—Al 0.2 5Y—Al 0.5 0.2 10⁻² 600 45 9 EXAMPLE 2  Si₃N₄ 97Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 4Gd—Al 0.1 1 10⁻² 580 47.3 5.6 EXAMPLE 3  AlN 98Al 10Si—Al 0.3 3Er—Al 0.8 0.3 10⁻² 600 55.8 2.3 EXAMPLE 4  AlN 95Al 10Si—Al 0.5 4Y—1Ce—Al 0.5 0.6 10⁻² 590 61.9 0.3 EXAMPLE 5  Si—Al-0-N 98Al 10Si—Al 0.3 4Nd—Al 0.2 1 10⁻² 630 48.2 7.8 EXAMPLE 6  Si—Al-0-N 96Al  6Si—Al 0.15 5Sc—Al 0.1 0.8 10⁻² 620 46.8 8.9 EXAMPLE 7  SiC 95Al  8Si—Al 0.3 3Y—1La—05Sr—Al 0.3 0.2 10⁻² 600 41.2 4.3 EXAMPLE 8  SiC 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 3Dy—1Th—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 610 43.5 3.1 EXAMPLE 9  Al₂O₃ 98Al 10Si—Al 0.3 3Tb—Al 0.3 0.3 10⁻² 610 63.2 7.5 EXAMPLE 10 Al₂O₃ 97Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 3Y—Al 0.4 0.3 10⁻² 600 60.4 2.8 EXAMPLE 11 Si₃N₄ 99Al 15Si—Al 0.2 3Y—Al 0.3 1 10⁻² 620 58.2 0.7 EXAMPLE 12 Si₃N₄ 99Al 15Si—Al 0.5 1Y—Al 0.1 0.5 10⁻² 600 50.3 4.5 EXAMPLE 13 Si₃N₄ 97Al 15Si—Al 0.2 3Nd—Al 0.8 0.2 10⁻² 630 53.6 2.4 EXAMPLE 14 Si₃N₄ 96Al 15Si—Al 0.2 3Er—Al 0.5 1.5 10⁻² 590 61.9 1.4 EXAMPLE 15 Si₃N₄ 99Al 12Si—Al 0.15 3Y—Al 0.1 1 10⁻² 580 63.3 0 EXAMPLE 16 Si₃N₄ 99Al 12Si—Al 0.2 3Y—Al 0.8 2.5 10⁻² 580 64.5 0 EXAMPLE 17 Si₃N₄ 98Al 12Si—Al 0.2 4Sm—Al 0.1 0.5 10⁻² 580 53.7 2 EXAMPLE 18 Si₃N₄ 98Al 12Si—Al 0.2 5Gd—Al 0.8 2 10⁻² 580 64.6 0 EXAMPLE 19 Si₃N₄ 95Al 12Si—Al 0.3 4Sc—Al 0.8 1 10⁻² 580 56.3 0.8 EXAMPLE 20 Si₃N₄ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.5 1Y—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 47.8 5.5 EXAMPLE 21 Si₃N₄ 98Al 10Si—Al 0.5 1Er—Al 0.5 2 10⁻² 605 59.2 0.2 EXAMPLE 22 Si₃N₄ 97Al 10Si—Al 0.2 2Sr—Al 0.3 1.5 10⁻² 605 61.5 0.4 EXAMPLE 23 Si₃N₄ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.15 2Ce—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 610 55.9 1.6 EXAMPLE 24 Si₃N₄ 95Al 10Si—Al 0.5 2Dy—Al 0.8 0.2 10⁻² 600 48.4 2.2 EXAMPLE 25 Si₃N₄ 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.1 4Th—Al 0.1 1 10⁻² 605 45.5 6 EXAMPLE 26 Si₃N₄ 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.3 3Y—Al 0.5 2 10⁻² 600 62.7 0 EXAMPLE 27 Si₃N₄ 98Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 5Tb—Al 0.3 1 10⁻² 615 51.8 3.6 EXAMPLE 28 Si₃N₄ 98Al 7.5Si—Al  0.3 4La—Al 0.5 1.5 10⁻² 620 58.9 0.2 EXAMPLE 29 Si₃N₄ 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.2 1Gd—Al 0.2 0.2 10⁻² 620 51.2 3.3 EXAMPLE 30 Si₃N₄ 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.4 5Er—Al 0.1 0.5 10⁻² 615 55.6 1.5

TABLE 2 STRUCTURE OF CLAD MEMBER (CIRCUIT LAYER) Al ALLOY FILM ON SURFACE JOINING TREATMENT VOID KIND OF Al CONTENT IN COMPOSITION OF TOTAL OF CERAMIC SUBSTRATE PRESSING DEGREE OF TEMPER- JOINING AREA CERAMIC CIRCUIT LAYER Al—Si BRAZING THICKNESS COMPOSITION THICKNESS LOAD VACUUM ATURE STRENGTH RATIO SAMPLE No. SUBSTRATE (MASS %) MATERIAL (MASS %) (mm) (at %) (μm) (MPa) (Pa) (° C.) (N/20 mm□) (%) EXAMPLE 31 Si₃N₄ 98Al 7.5Si—Al  0.3 4Ce—Al 0.2 1.5 10⁻² 615 60.1 0.1 EXAMPLE 32 Si₃N₄ 95Al 7.5Si—Al  0.2 5Dy—Al 0.3 0.3 10⁻² 630 51.6 0.9 EXAMPLE 33 Si₃N₄ 99Al  6Si—Al 0.3 3Y—Al 0.8 0.5 10⁻² 630 57.9 0.9 EXAMPLE 34 Si₃N₄ 98Al  6Si—Al 0.5 5Nd—Al 0.8 1 10⁻² 630 54.3 1.8 EXAMPLE 35 Si₃N₄ 97Al  6Si—Al 0.3 1Nd—Al 0.5 0.2 10⁻² 630 50.9 4.8 EXAMPLE 36 Si₃N₄ 95Al  6Si—Al 0.2 3Gd—0.5Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 630 57.6 1.6 EXAMPLE 37 Si₃N₄ 95Al 7.5Si—Al  0.15 2Ce—Er—Al 0.5 1 10⁻² 620 58.1 0.8 EXAMPLE 38 Si₃N₄ 97Al 12Si—Al 0.5 3Gd—0.5Y—Al 0.1 0.5 10⁻² 580 55.8 1.8 EXAMPLE 39 Si₃N₄ 95Al 15Si—Al 0.3 3Nd—La—Al 0.3 1 10⁻² 615 59.6 0.3 EXAMPLE 40 Si₃N₄ 98Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 3Nd—La—Al 0.8 0.5 10⁻² 615 54.1 1.6 EXAMPLE 41 AlN 99Al 15Si—Al 0.2 3Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 615 58.3 1 EXAMPLE 42 AlN 97Al 15Si—Al 0.2 3Nd—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 615 56.6 1.9 EXAMPLE 43 AlN 99Al 12Si—Al 0.15 3Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 580 65.7 0 EXAMPLE 44 AlN 98Al 12Si—Al 0.2 5Gd—Al 0.6 0.2 10⁻² 580 56.9 1.8 EXAMPLE 45 AlN 99Al 10Si—Al 0.5 3Y—Al 0.3 1.5 10⁻² 600 63.8 0 EXAMPLE 46 AlN 97Al 10Si—Al 0.2 2Sr—Al 0.8 1 10⁻² 590 59.1 0.5 EXAMPLE 47 AlN 99Al 10Si—Al 0.15 2Ce—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 57 1.8 EXAMPLE 48 AlN 95Al 10Si—Al 0.5 2Dy—Al 0.2 0.2 10⁻² 605 58.6 1.5 EXAMPLE 49 AlN 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.1 4Th—Al 0.2 0.2 10⁻² 605 51.3 4.6 EXAMPLE 50 AlN 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 1 10⁻² 610 62.8 0.1 EXAMPLE 51 AlN 98Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 5Tb—Al 0.1 0.2 10⁻² 610 53.6 2.3 EXAMPLE 52 AlN 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.4 5Er—Al 0.6 1.5 10⁻² 605 55.5 2 EXAMPLE 53 AlN 95Al 7.5Si—Al  0.2 5Dy—Al 0.8 2 10⁻² 615 64 0 EXAMPLE 54 AlN 99Al  6Si—Al 0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 630 60.3 1 EXAMPLE 55 AlN 95Al  6Si—Al 0.2 3Ce—1.5Sr—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 630 59.1 0.2 EXAMPLE 56 AlN 95Al 15Si—Al 0.3 3La—2Gd—Al 0.8 1 10⁻² 620 58.3 0.9 EXAMPLE 57 AlN 97Al 12Si—Al 0.5 3.5Er—0.5Y—Al 0.3 1 10⁻² 580 62.5 0 EXAMPLE 58 AlN 98Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 2Sr—2Dy—Al 0.6 0.5 10⁻² 615 58.4 1.2 EXAMPLE 59 AlN 95Al 7.5Si—Al  0.15 2Sm—1Nd—Al 0.5 0.2 10⁻² 620 54.9 2.4 EXAMPLE 60 Si—Al-0-N 99Al 15Si—Al 0.2 3Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 625 53.4 2

TABLE 3 STRUCTURE OF CLAD MEMBER (CIRCUIT LAYER) Al ALLOY FILM ON SURFACE JOINING TREATMENT VOID KIND OF Al CONTENT IN COMPOSITION OF TOTAL OF CERAMIC SUBSTRATE PRESSING DEGREE OF TEMPER- JOINING AREA CERAMIC CIRCUIT LAYER Al—Si BRAZING THICKNESS COMPOSITION THICKNESS LOAD VACUUM ATURE STRENGTH RATIO SAMPLE No. SUBSTRATE (MASS %) MATERIAL (MASS %) (mm) (at %) (μm) (MPa) (Pa) (° C.) (N/20 mm□) (%) EXAMPLE 61 Si—Al-0-N 97Al 15Si—Al 0.2 3Nd—Al 0.5 0.2 10⁻² 620 50.9 38 EXAMPLE 62 Si—Al-0-N 99Al 12Si—Al 0.15 3Y—Al 0.3 1.5 10⁻² 580 61.6 0 EXAMPLE 63 Si—Al-0-N 98Al 12Si—Al 0.2 5Gd—Al 0.6 1.5 10⁻² 580 59.2 0.2 EXAMPLE 64 Si—Al-0-N 99Al 10Si—Al 0.5 3Y—Al 0.3 2 10⁻² 600 63.8 0 EXAMPLE 65 Si—Al-0-N 97Al 10Si—Al 0.2 2Sr—Al 0.8 0.5 10⁻² 605 52.6 1.8 EXAMPLE 66 Si—Al-0-N 99Al 10Si—Al 0.15 2Ce—Al 0.5 1 10⁻² 610 55.2 0.9 EXAMPLE 67 Si—Al-0-N 95Al 10Si—Al 0.5 2Dy—Al 0.2 0.5 10⁻² 610 55.5 1.4 EXAMPLE 68 Si—Al-0-N 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.1 4Th—Al 0.2 0.2 10⁻² 610 46.4 8.2 EXAMPLE 69 Si—Al-0-N 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 1 10⁻² 615 59.9 0.3 EXAMPLE 70 Si—Al-0-N 98Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 5Tb—Al 0.1 0.2 10⁻² 620 51.1 2.6 EXAMPLE 71 Si—Al-0-N 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.4 5Er—Al 0.6 0.5 10⁻² 630 54.3 1.5 EXAMPLE 72 Si—Al-0-N 95Al 7.5Si—Al  0.2 5Dy—Al 0.8 1 10⁻² 620 52.8 4.2 EXAMPLE 73 Si—Al-0-N 99Al  6Si—Al 0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 1.5 10⁻² 630 57.8 0.9 EXAMPLE 74 Si—Al-0-N 95Al  6Si—Al 0.2 3Tb—0.5Y—Al 0.8 0.2 10⁻² 630 50.3 4.5 EXAMPLE 75 Si—Al-0-N 95Al 15Si—Al 0.3 2.5Dy—2Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 620 54.9 2.3 EXAMPLE 76 Si—Al-0-N 97Al 12Si—Al 0.5 3.5Th—1Ce—Al 0.5 1 10⁻² 580 59.6 0.4 EXAMPLE 77 Si—Al-0-N 98Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 3Y—2Gd—Al 0.8 0.2 10⁻² 615 48.6 6.4 EXAMPLE 78 Si—Al-0-N 95Al 7.5Si—Al  0.15 2.5Nd—2Th—Al 0.2 1 10⁻² 620 53.2 4.8 EXAMPLE 79 SiC 99Al 15Si—Al 0.2 3Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 615 51.2 0.5 EXAMPLE 80 SiC 97Al 15Si—Al 0.2 3Nd—Al 0.5 0.2 10⁻² 610 48.6 0.9 EXAMPLE 81 SiC 99Al 12Si—Al 0.15 3Y—Al 0.3 1.5 10⁻² 580 57.8 0 EXAMPLE 82 SiC 98Al 12Si—Al 0.2 5Gd—Al 0.6 0.2 10⁻² 600 53.5 0.3 EXAMPLE 83 SiC 99Al 10Si—Al 0.5 3Y—Al 0.3 1 10⁻² 600 56.7 0 EXAMPLE 84 SiC 97Al 10Si—Al 0.2 2Sr—Al 0.8 1 10⁻² 610 52.6 0.2 EXAMPLE 85 SiC 99Al 10Si—Al 0.15 2Ce—Al 0.5 0.2 10⁻² 610 47.8 1.6 EXAMPLE 86 SiC 95Al 10Si—Al 0.5 2Dy—Al 0.2 0.5 10⁻² 600 49.8 1.2 EXAMPLE 87 SiC 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.1 4Th—Al 0.2 0.2 10⁻² 615 41.9 4.8 EXAMPLE 88 SiC 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 2 10⁻² 615 55.9 0 EXAMPLE 89 SiC 98Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 5Tb—Al 0.1 0.5 10⁻² 620 43.6 2.1 EXAMPLE 90 SiC 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.4 5Er—Al 0.6 2.5 10⁻² 610 56.1 0

TABLE 4 STRUCTURE OF CLAD MEMBER (CIRCUIT LAYER) Al ALLOY FILM ON SURFACE JOINING TREATMENT VOID KIND OF Al CONTENT IN COMPOSITION OF TOTAL OF CERAMIC SUBSTRATE PRESSING DEGREE OF TEMPER- JOINING AREA CERAMIC CIRCUIT LAYER Al—Si BRAZING THICKNESS COMPOSITION THICKNESS LOAD VACUUM ATURE STRENGTH RATIO SAMPLE No. SUBSTRATE (MASS %) MATERIAL (MASS %) (mm) (at %) (μm) (MPa) (Pa) (° C.) (N/20 mm□) (%) EXAMPLE 91  SiC 95Al 7.5Si—Al  0.2 5Dy—Al 0.8 1 10⁻² 615 44 2.5 EXAMPLE 92  SiC 99Al  6Si—Al 0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 630 51.3 0 EXAMPLE 93  SiC 95Al  6Si—Al 0.2 3Tb—1.5Er—Al 0.8 0.5 10⁻² 630 48.7 0.4 EXAMPLE 94  SiC 95Al 15Si—Al 0.3 3La—0.5Sm—Al 0.8 0.2 10⁻² 620 43.5 2.5 EXAMPLE 95  SiC 97Al 12Si—Al 0.5 4Sm—0.5Y—Al 0.5 0.2 10⁻² 580 42.6 3.2 EXAMPLE 96  SiC 98Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 2.5Y—1Sr—Al 0.5 1 10⁻² 615 49.8 0.7 EXAMPLE 97  SiC 95Al 7.5Si—Al  0.15 2.5Y—2Nd—Al 0.2 1 10⁻² 615 42.4 3.3 EXAMPLE 98  Al₂O₃ 99Al 15Si—Al 0.2 3Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 615 60.8 0.2 EXAMPLE 99  Al₂O₃ 97Al 15Si—Al 0.2 3Nd—Al 0.5 1 10⁻² 600 64.5 0.1 EXAMPLE 100 Al₂O₃ 99Al 12Si—Al 0.15 3Y—Al 0.3 1.5 10⁻² 580 66 0 EXAMPLE 101 Al₂O₃ 98Al 12Si—Al 0.2 5Gd—Al 0.6 0.5 10⁻² 580 61.2 0.5 EXAMPLE 102 Al₂O₃ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.5 3Y—Al 0.3 2 10⁻² 595 65.8 0 EXAMPLE 103 Al₂O₃ 97Al 10Si—Al 0.2 2Sr—Al 0.8 1 10⁻² 600 60.5 2.5 EXAMPLE 104 Al₂O₃ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.15 2Ce—Al 0.5 0.2 10⁻² 610 61.8 6 EXAMPLE 105 Al₂O₃ 95Al 10Si—Al 0.5 2Dy—Al 0.2 0.5 10⁻² 600 60.4 4.2 EXAMPLE 106 Al₂O₃ 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.1 4Th—Al 0.2 0.5 10⁻² 615 58.8 2.9 EXAMPLE 107 Al₂O₃ 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 1 10⁻² 610 64.2 0.1 EXAMPLE 108 Al₂O₃ 98Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 5Tb—Al 0.1 0.5 10⁻² 610 60.7 3.6 EXAMPLE 109 Al₂O₃ 99Al 7.5Si—Al  0.4 5Er—Al 0.6 1 10⁻² 610 61.3 1.9 EXAMPLE 110 Al₂O₃ 95Al 7.5Si—Al  0.2 5Dy—Al 0.8 1.5 10⁻² 615 64.8 0.4 EXAMPLE 111 Al₂O₃ 99Al  6Si—Al 0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 1.5 10⁻² 620 62.1 0.5 EXAMPLE 112 Al₂O₃ 95Al  6Si—Al 0.2 4Gd—0.5Y—Al 0.2 1 10⁻² 620 61.5 3 EXAMPLE 113 Al₂O₃ 95Al 15Si—Al 0.3 4Nd—0.5Sm—Al 0.8 1 10⁻² 620 63.8 0.4 EXAMPLE 114 Al₂O₃ 97Al 12Si—Al 0.5 3.5Er—0.5Y—Al 0.5 2 10⁻² 580 63.6 0 EXAMPLE 115 Al₂O₃ 98Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 3Gd—0.5Y—Al 0.6 0.2 10⁻² 615 63.6 2.1 EXAMPLE 116 Al₂O₃ 95Al 7.5Si—Al  0.15 2Ce—Er—Al 0.2 0.2 10⁻² 620 59.7 3.1

TABLE 5 STRUCTURE OF CLAD MEMBER (CIRCUIT LAYER) Al ALLOY FILM ON SURFACE JOINING TREATMENT VOID KIND OF Al CONTENT IN COMPOSITION OF TOTAL OF CERAMIC SUBSTRATE PRESSING DEGREE OF TEMPER- JOINING AREA CERAMIC CIRCUIT LAYER Al—Si BRAZING THICKNESS COMPOSITION THICKNESS LOAD VACUUM ATURE STRENGTH RATIO SAMPLE No. SUBSTRATE (MASS %) MATERIAL (MASS %) (mm) (at %) (μm) (MPa) (Pa) (° C.) (N/20 mm□) (%) C. EXAMPLE 1  Si₃N₄ 98Al 15Si—Al 0.2 100Al 0.3 0.8 10⁻² 650 30.2 28.1 C. EXAMPLE 2  Si₃N₄ 97Al 18Si—Al 0.4 4Gd—Al 0.1 1 10⁻² 600 36.3 18.2 C. EXAMPLE 3  AlN 98Al 10Si—Al 0.5 4Y—1Ce—Al 1.1 0.6 10⁻² 590 33.9 13.2 C. EXAMPLE 4  Si—Al-0-N 97Al  5Si—Al 0.3 4Nd—Al 0.2 0.6 10⁻² 600 29.4 20.5 C. EXAMPLE 5  SiC 96Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 4Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 570 10.5 61.7 C. EXAMPLE 6  Al₂O₃ 98Al 10Si—Al 0.3 3Tb—Al 0.5 0.1 10⁻² 630 24.6 55.1 C. EXAMPLE 7  AlN 97Al 7.5Si—Al  0.5 10Y—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 38.3 15.8 C. EXAMPLE 8  Si₃N₄ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 10Y—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 28.4 22.5 C. EXAMPLE 9  Si₃N₄ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 10Sc—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 24.6 26.4 C. EXAMPLE 10 Si₃N₄ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 10La—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 27.2 20 C. EXAMPLE 11 AlN 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 10Ce—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 33.6 15.8 C. EXAMPLE 12 AlN 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 10Nd—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 30.2 16.7 C. EXAMPLE 13 AlN 98Al 10Si—Al 0.3 10Sm—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 28.7 21.5 C. EXAMPLE 14 Al₂O₃ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 10Gd—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 33 17 C. EXAMPLE 15 Al₂O₃ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 10Tb—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 31.2 20.1 C. EXAMPLE 16 Al₂O₃ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 10Dy—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 37.3 15.8 C. EXAMPLE 17 SiC 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 10Er—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 31.3 15.2 C. EXAMPLE 18 SiC 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 10Th—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 32.5 15.1 C. EXAMPLE 19 Si—Al-0-N 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 10Sr—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 29.4 17.5 C. EXAMPLE 20 Si₃N₄ 99Al 12Si—Al 0.3 3Y—Al 1.5 0.5 10⁻² 580 30.4 15.9 NOTE: C. EXAMPLE denotes COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE.

TABLE 6 STRUCTURE OF CLAD MEMBER (CIRCUIT LAYER) Al ALLOY FILM ON SURFACE JOINING TREATMENT VOID KIND OF Al CONTENT IN COMPOSITION OF TOTAL OF CERAMIC SUBSTRATE PRESSING DEGREE OF TEMPER- JOINING AREA CERAMIC CIRCUIT LAYER Al—Si BRAZING THICKNESS COMPOSITION THICKNESS LOAD VACUUM ATURE STRENGTH RATIO SAMPLE No. SUBSTRATE (MASS %) MATERIAL (MASS %) (mm) (at %) (μm) (MPa) (Pa) (° C.) (N/20 mm□) (%) C. EXAMPLE 21 Si₃N₄ 99Al 12Si—Al 0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 0.1 10⁻² 580 10.4 68.8 C. EXAMPLE 22 Si₃N₄ 99Al 12Si—Al 0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 570 11.6 65.2 C. EXAMPLE 23 Si₃N₄ 99Al  6Si—Al 0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 640 28.7 30.4 C. EXAMPLE 24 AlN 99Al 12Si—Al 0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 640 25.9 33.2 C. EXAMPLE 25 AlN 98Al 12Si—Al 0.3 100Al 0.3 0.8 10⁻² 580 38.7 21.3 C. EXAMPLE 26 Si₃N₄ 99Al 18Si—Al 0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 580 21.6 46.7 C. EXAMPLE 27 Si—Al-0-N 99Al  5Si—Al 0.3 3Y—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 580 33.4 22.6 C. EXAMPLE 28 Si—Al-1-N 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 3Nd—Al 1.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 28.9 15.7 C. EXAMPLE 29 Si₃N₄ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 3Nd—Al 0.3 0.1 10⁻² 600 12.1 64.5 C. EXAMPLE 30 Si₃N₄ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 3Gd—Al 1.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 34.2 20.6 C. EXAMPLE 31 SiC 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 3Gd—Al 0.3 0.1 10⁻² 600 9.8 74.3 C. EXAMPLE 32 SiC 99Al 12Si—Al 0.3 3Er—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 570 28.6 23.2 C. EXAMPLE 33 Si₃N₄ 99Al  6Si—Al 0.3 3Ce—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 640 34.5 18.2 C. EXAMPLE 34 Si₃N₄ 99Al 12Si—Al 0.3 3Nd—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 640 28.2 15.9 C. EXAMPLE 35 AlN 99Al 18Si—Al 0.3 4Gd—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 580 35.6 13.6 C. EXAMPLE 36 A₂O₃ 99Al  5Si—Al 0.3 4Sc—Al 0.3 0.5 10⁻² 580 31.2 16.8 C. EXAMPLE 37 Si₃N₄ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 5Gd—3Y—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 31.2 16.7 C. EXAMPLE 38 Si—Al-0-N 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 5Ce—3Er—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 36.6 15.5 C. EXAMPLE 39 AlN 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 5Gd—3Y—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 33.4 18 C. EXAMPLE 40 Al₂O₃ 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 5Nd—3La—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 30.8 19.6 C. EXAMPLE 41 SiC 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 5Y—5Er—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 600 33.4 15.1 C. EXAMPLE 42 Si₃N₄ 99Al 12Si—Al 0.3 4Gd—0.5Y—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 570 19.5 23 C. EXAMPLE 43 Al₂O₃ 99Al  6Si—Al 0.3 4Nd—0.5Sm—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 640 20.5 35.6 C. EXAMPLE 44 AlN 99Al 12Si—Al 0.3 3.5Er—0.5Y—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 640 34.1 17.4 C. EXAMPLE 45 AlN 99Al 10Si—Al 0.3 3Gd—0.5Y—Al 0.5 0.5 10⁻² 640 32.5 18.5 NOTE: C. EXAMPLE denotes COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE.

As is apparent from the results shown in Tables 1 to 6, according to the ceramic circuit boards of the examples each prepared by forming an Al alloy film having a predetermined thickness on the surface of the ceramic substrate, even when the thickness of the Al alloy film is small to be less than 1 μm, the void area ratio was smaller than that of the comparative examples. This result showed that the diffusion and the ejection (the hillock phenomenon) of Al elements on the joint surface during joining by heating were effectively suppressed.

Therefore, it was confirmed that the generation of voids in the joint surface could be effectively prevented and the joint strength was drastically increased and thus improved. Furthermore, since the thickness of the Al alloy film could be decreased to be less than 1 μm, the time required for depositing the Al alloy film by vapor deposition or the like could be reduced and the joining operation could be simplified. Therefore, it became clear that the joint assembly of the circuit board could be simplified to reduce the production cost drastically.

On the other hand, according to the ceramic circuit board of Comparative Example 1 prepared by forming an Al metal layer on the surface of the ceramic substrate in advance, the diffusion of Al elements during joining by heating was significant and the ejection (the hillock phenomenon) of Al elements on the joint surface was not suppressed. It was reconfirmed that the joint strength was also drastically decreased in proportion to the sharp increase in the void area ratio.

In addition, as shown in Comparative Examples 2 to 7, the results showed that when the composition of the Al alloy film (Comparative Examples 1 and 7), the joint temperature (Comparative Examples 1 and 5), the composition of Al—Si brazing material (Comparative Examples 2 and 4), the thickness of the Al alloy film (Comparative Example 3), the pressure during joining (Comparative Example 6), or the like were out of the preferred range specified in the present invention, the joint strength of the circuit layer and the void area property were decreased.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure of a power module including the ceramic circuit board according to an embodiment of the present invention. Namely, on the surface of an Al circuit plate 2 of a ceramic circuit board 1 disposed in a power module 10 of this embodiment, a semiconductor chip (semiconductor element) 11 including an IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) serving as a power device is fixed with solder 12.

The Al circuit plate 2 is connected to an electrode terminal (not shown in the figure) for a collector and supplies the semiconductor chip 11 with a collector voltage. Both ends of a bonding wire 13 composed of a fine wire of a metal such as Al or Au are bonded to a gate electrode 14 on the semiconductor chip 11 and a metal film 15 on a ceramic substrate 6, respectively, by using ultrasonic welding. Since the metal film 15 is connected to an electrode terminal (not shown in the figure) for a gate, the bonding wire 13 is electrically connected to the electrode terminal for the gate. Thus, a gate voltage is supplied from the electrode terminal for the gate through the bonding wire 13.

Further, both ends of a bonding wire 16 are bonded to an emitter electrode 17 on the semiconductor chip 11 and a metal film 18 on the ceramic substrate 6, respectively, by using ultrasonic welding. Since an electrode terminal 19 for an emitter is bonded on the metal film 18 with solder 20, the bonding wire 16 is electrically connected to the electrode terminal 19 for the emitter. Thus, an emitter voltage is supplied from the electrode terminal 19 for the emitter through the bonding wire 16.

The bottom face of the ceramic substrate 6 is joined on a metal substrate (heat sink) 24 with a metal film 22 and solder 26 that are provided therebetween. An outer shell case 28 composed of a plastic material or the like and the metal substrate 24 constitute a package 29. The semiconductor chip 11, the ceramic substrate 6, the Al circuit layer 2, the metal films 15 and 18, the bonding wires 13 and 16, and a part of the electrode terminal 19 for the emitter are sealed in the package 29 to constitute the single power module 10. The metal substrate 24 can be formed as a component also serving as a heat sink, but radiation fins (heat sink) may be separately provided in addition to the metal substrate 24. Heat generated from the semiconductor chip 11 is dissipated to the bottom face side of the semiconductor chip 11 through the metal substrate 24, thereby cooling the semiconductor chip 11. Thus, the operation and the function of the semiconductor chip 11 are satisfactorily maintained.

According to the power module of the embodiment having the above-described structure, the generation of voids in the joint interface of the ceramic substrate can be effectively suppressed, and thus the joint strength of the metal member serving as the circuit layer can be increased. Consequently, a power module in which the heat resistance cycle characteristics can be drastically improved can be obtained and satisfactory reliability can be ensured.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to the ceramic circuit board, the method for producing the same, and the power module of the present invention, since an Al alloy film having a predetermined thickness is formed on the surface of a ceramic substrate, even when the thickness of this Al alloy film is small to be less than 1 μm, the diffusion and the ejection (the hillock phenomenon) of Al elements on the joint surface during joining by heating can be effectively suppressed, the generation of voids in the joint surface can be effectively prevented, and the joint assembly of the circuit board can be simplified thereby to reduce the production cost drastically. 

1. A ceramic circuit board prepared by a method that comprises integrally joining a circuit layer comprising a clad member that comprises an Al plate and an Al—Si brazing material to a ceramic substrate, wherein a surface of said clad member adjacent to the Al—Si brazing material is joined to said ceramic substrate with an Al alloy film therebetween, said Al alloy film having a thickness of less than 1 μm and provided on the surface of the ceramic substrate, and wherein said Al alloy film comprises at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of Y, Sc, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Er, Th, and Sr in an amount of 1 to 5 atomic percent.
 2. The ceramic circuit board according to claim 1, wherein said ceramic substrate comprises an aluminum nitride sintered body, a silicon nitride sintered body, a silicon carbide sintered body, or a sialon sintered body.
 3. The ceramic circuit board according to claim 1, wherein an Al content of said Al—Si brazing material is 85 mass percent or more and the Si content of the Al—Si brazing material is in the range of 6 to 15 mass percent.
 4. The ceramic circuit board according to claim 1, wherein said circuit layer has a thickness of 0.15 to 0.5 mm.
 5. The ceramic circuit board according to claim 1, wherein said Al alloy film has a thickness of 0.1 to 0.5 μm.
 6. The ceramic circuit board according to claim 1, having a void area ratio of no greater than 9%.
 7. The ceramic circuit board according to claim 1, wherein said ceramic substrate has a thickness ranging from 0.625 to 1.2 mm.
 8. A method for producing a ceramic circuit board comprising: integrally joining a circuit layer comprising a clad member that comprises an Al plate and an Al—Si brazing material to an Al alloy film, wherein said circuit layer comprising said clad member and a ceramic substrate having said Al alloy film thereon overlap with each other, and heating said circuit layer and said ceramic substrate at a temperature of 580° C. to 630° C. in an atmosphere of vacuum of 10⁻² Pa or lower while applying a pressing load to the overlapped the clad member and the ceramic substrate so that the pressure of the load is 2 kg/cm² or more to join said circuit layer to said ceramic substrate, wherein said Al alloy film comprises at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of Y, Sc, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Er, Th, and Sr in an amount of 1 to 5 atomic percent.
 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said ceramic substrate has a thickness ranging from 0.625 to 1.2 mm.
 10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said ceramic substrate comprises an aluminum nitride sintered body, a silicon nitride sintered body, a silicon carbide sintered body, or a sialon sintered body.
 11. A power module comprising: a ceramic circuit board prepared by a method that comprises integrally joining a circuit layer comprising a clad member that comprises an Al plate and an Al—Si brazing material to a ceramic substrate, wherein a surface of said clad member adjacent to said Al—Si brazing material is joined to said ceramic substrate with an Al alloy film therebetween, said Al alloy film having a thickness of less than 1 μm and provided on the surface of said ceramic substrate; a semiconductor element mounted on said circuit layer; and a heat sink that dissipates heat generated from said semiconductor element via said ceramic circuit board, wherein said Al alloy film comprises at least one rare earth element selected from the group consisting of Y, Sc, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Gd, Tb, Dy, Er, Th, and Sr in an amount of 1 to 5 atomic percent.
 12. The power module according to claim 11, wherein said ceramic substrate has a thickness ranging from 0.625 to 1.2 mm.
 13. The power module according to claim 11, wherein said ceramic substrate comprises an aluminum nitride sintered body, a silicon nitride sintered body, a silicon carbide sintered body, or a sialon sintered body. 